MAMS

Jan. 01, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007

Multi-Access, Modular-Services Framework

MAMS (Multi-Access, Modular-Services Framework) was a joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and managed by Deutsche Telekom Laboratories.The goal of MAMS was the specification and roll-out of a novel, unified, open Service Delivery Platform (SDP) for Next Generation Networks and Services (NGN). The developed SDP enables the rapid, streamlined design of new combinable services for a wide range of multimedia applications based on the uninterruptible use of various network technologies and integrated voice and dataThe project results enable the deployment of distributed dynamically configurable network nodes and a modular IMS-based Overlay Service Architecture with open interfaces for the integration of third party providers to develop methodically structured processes and service-generation tools and to address general problems of open service environments.

Challenges

Higher market competition, changing value-added chains and innovative business models in the ITC sector means that future mobile wireless and fixed telecommunications infrastructures shall have to drastically shorten the development cycles and time to market of new innovative services using a variety of network technologies.To make the best use of available innovation resources, it would be great benefit if we could succeed in keying in the creative potential of users into the development process on a sustainable basis.Thus the challenge is to integrate people from user groups into the development of innovative services alongside traditional IT experts.Another factor is that with ever-shorter technology innovation cycles existing Service Delivery Platforms must be continually refined, extended or even completely replaced – a process that is made even more rapid by the emergence of new IT technologies, software tools and technology standards.Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) and their realization based on Web services and workflows have proven to be an excellent architectural concept for the evolution of forward-looking enterprise and telecommunications applications whose level of abstraction even extends into the business model domain.Service Delivery Platforms do not just use SOAs for ensuring service functionality to third party providers and enterprises (“exposure mechanisms”) but increasingly make use of them to generate interfaces with a low level of abstraction for (core) network services and elements.Technically speaking this gives rise to the following key issues which research must aim to address:

How to create the specific service development environment and proper multi-disciplinary team that will enable the simple development of innovative services from the first idea to the final realization.

How to specify mechanisms supporting the adaptation of service development techniques to changing technical infrastructures.

How to ensure automatic service adaptation to changing telecommunications infrastructures.

Project Goals

The goal of the MAMS project is to create methodological structured processes and tools that enable intuitive service development and operational start-ups. The high level of automation in these processes shall empower non-experts too to realise complex multi-access-enabled services and applications quickly and easily, and transfer them over to live operations.To achieve this aim a "Service Creation Workbench" shall be developed for the convenient generation of services out of the range of available service components. Thus new value-added services targeted at specific groups can be implemented including Community Services, Customer Relationship Management Services and new eBusiness Services such as e-Health. The Service Creation Workbench shall also provide the basis for the establishment of a standardized programming environment for non-experts and research here will be conducted in co-operation with the appropriate standardization committees. The development environment shall be based on Open Source components in order to (1) facilitate the acceptance and further development of the Service Creation Workbench, and (2) to stimulate the broad introduction of individual modular value-added services through free programs. This Open Source-based approach shall also enable the migration of other as yet unknown service platforms.Although IMS is widely seen as standardized today, there is in fact still a pressing need for further standardization – for instance in terms of the convergence of fixed networks and the internet. There are still a number of unresolved issues not just in the area of test specification which could lead to problems in interoperability but also in terms of extension options to move the standard in the direction of an application as NGN service platform based on various access networks and in the area of IMS-based service provision. With its proven expertise in these areas, FOKUS can make an important contribution to the MAMS project, especially in terms of standardization activities for ETSI TISPAN.

Technology

A Service Creation and Service Execution environment needs special methods and tools if it is to provide effective support throughout the whole lifecycle of a service –from the first idea and analysis and specification, over implementation, prototype development and testing through to the final product – and not forgetting controlling and maintenance.The Service Creation environment needs to use a repository of core communication services. To enable this, the MAMS project shall develop a flexible efficient Open Distributed Service Delivery Platform (ODSDP) as part of a Next Generation Network (NGN). This platform shall function as the integration level for the various infrastructure functionalities and interfaces on which MAMS services are to be built. Services developed by the Service Creation Workbench will be implemented on the ODSDP and thus can use its integrated functionalities. The control level of this NGN platform is based on the IP-Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and a network of abstraction components. Both the IMS and the Network Abstraction are currently undergoing standardization. MAMS shall develop the first Open Source variant of IMS. In terms of Network Abstraction, the MAMS project shall implement the very first “Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Services Environment" and compare it with the classical IMS interface. The project shall also develop an optimized middleware to separate issues like redundancy design, load distribution and scaling from actual service provision. This "Intelligent Service Oriented Network Infrastructure" (ISONI) shall abstract existing hardware for the NGN components IMS and ODSDP, and also optimize inter-component communication.This vision shall be realized with the aid of service generation tools of high abstraction capability, network-independent open service platforms and IMS.Fraunhofer FOKUS shall concentrate its research on current standardization activities in and around ETSI TISPAN. The following critical research issues shall be addressed:

Development of a portable Open Source IMS Core System incorporating the forthcoming 3GPP Release 7 and ETSI TISPAN NGN Release 2 standards

Development of a flexible Quality of Service infrastructure compliant with ETSI TISPAN NGN and 3GPP standards

Development of a comprehensive IMS framework

Development of a program system with IMS performance measurement

Development of an IMS Service Orchestration Frameworks compliant with the OSE standard

These are areas in which FOKUS has outstanding ability and where it can make a vital contribution to achieving the goals set by the MAMS project. In particular FOKUS shall concentrate its research in and around standardization activities for ETSI TISPAN and is responsible for the development of the following components in the areas given below:

Service Platforms / Network Abstraction

Parlay Playgrounds for Network Abstraction and third-party-provider access to the SDP

Definition and realization of new Network Abstraction APIs (Parlay X and OMA OSA)